The Good Neighbor, by Maxwell King

Borrowed audiobook from my local library. It's very strange to hear LeVar Burton talking about people and places I have known my whole life—Latrobe, Pa., Saint Vincent Archabbey and College, Ligonier, Pa., Pittsburgh, Pa. I quit this book about halfway through. I'm not sure if it was LeVar Burton's performance or the tremendous number of superlatives and repeated information that I couldn't stomach. Yes, I get that Fred Rogers was a unique, smart, kind, and rich man whose life seemed to be charmed. This book was just over the top. I did learn some interesting facts about him that I didn't know before, but I think I'll look elsewhere for the rest of the story behind the man.

The Third Bullet, by Stephen Hunter

Borrowed from Amazon during my 90-day Kindle Unlimited trial. Book #8 in the Bob Lee Swagger series, but book #1 for me. I am by no means a JFK assassination conspiracy junkie; I know the basics, but not the in-depth details. This book was great at the details, and completely plausible to me. 

Books Read in 2019

My reading habits continue to improve. I managed to read 34 books this year, 12 more than in 2018.

These are the books I tackled in 2019. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? My Dear Hamilton, by Laura Kaye and Stephanie Dray; Artemis, by Andy Weir; Americanah, by Chimimandah Ngozi Adichie; and The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss.

January
1. A God In Ruins, by Kate Atkinson

February
2. Jane Austen in Boca, by Paula Marantz Cohen

March
3. Madame Koska & le Spectre de la Rose, by Ilil Arbel (E)
4. La's Orchestra Saves The World, by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Look Alive Twenty-Five, by Janet Evanovich (A) (L)
6. Lady Susan, by Jane Austen (E)

April
7. Artemis, by Andy Weir (E) (L)
8. A Caribbean Mystery, by Agatha Christie

May
9. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World, by Matthew Goodman (E) (L)
10. Pardonable Lies, by Jacqueline Winspear (E)
11. People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

June
12. Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney
13. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, by Kelly Harms (E)
14. P.S. From Paris, by Marc Levy (E)

July
15. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, by Maria Augusta Trapp (E)
16. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (E) (R)
17. Private Lies, by Cynthia St. Aubin (E)

August
18. Lying Low, by Cynthia St. Aubin (E)
19. My Dear Hamilton, by Laura Kaye and Stephanie Dray (E)

September
20. A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (E) (L)
21. Americanah, by Chimimandah Ngozi Adichie
22. The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede (E)
23. Crooked House, by Agatha Christie

October
24. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, by Alexander McCall Smith
25. Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan
26. Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, by Christopher Moore
27. You Suck: A Love Story, by Christopher Moore
28. I Know Who You Are, by Alice Feeney (E) (L)

November
29. The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss (E)
30. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas (E) (L)
31. Becoming, by Michelle Obama (A) (L)

December
32. The Moving Finger, by Agatha Christie
33. The Android's Dream, by John Scalzi
34. The Slow Regard of Silent Things, by Patrick Rothfuss

My Dear Hamilton, by Laura Kaye and Stephanie Dray

Bought Kindle version from Amazon as a Christmas gift to myself before seeing the traveling Hamilton musical in January 2019, yet it took me eight months to get around to reading it. I'm sorry I waited so long: this book was very interesting historical fiction that contradicted some of the streamlined Hamilton, but also seemed to pay homage to some of its lyrics by including them as dialogue or descriptive prose. What an amazing world the Schuylers and Hamiltons (and Washingtons, Jeffersons, Madisons, Monroes, and Burrs, etc.) lived in. It was a world where you could make a difference, and a world where you could just as easily die of the common cold. There were a lot of parallels with today's politics—current administrations striving to undo previous administrations' work, divisive partisanship, obstruction, corruption, but also glimmers of hope. It makes you think of history differently than it is taught in school and changed my opinion about the man on the nickels in my pocket.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, by Kelly Harms

Received free from the Amazon First Reads program. This was kind of a fantasy novel for a book nerd. Who doesn't dream of being a librarian and escaping small-town Pennsylvania to go live in New York City for the summer and have grand adventures? Really? That's not everyone's dream? Well I greatly enjoyed living vicariously through Amy Byler and her friends and family. I liked the characters, the setting, the storyline, the writing style; it was a quick, fun read that was well written and polished.

Pardonable Lies, by Jacqueline Winspear

Bought from Amazon, deeply discounted. It's been awhile since I spent time in Maisie Dobbs' world, and I'm not sure I'll go back. The writing seemed clunky and repetitive in sections. I found it particularly odd that she often referred to her love interest by his last name—I know that can be an English thing to do, but it just seemed out of place and inconsistent with her character. I don't think she did the same for her previous love interest. There were too many convenient coincidences whose pages would have been better spent on Maisie's return to the clearing hospital.

Look Alive Twenty-Five, by Janet Evanovich

Borrowed audio version from my local library. Nothing is ever straightforward when Stephanie Plum and Lula are on the case, and this one is no different. There were lots of different characters and settings and situations to be refreshing, yet enough Morelli and Ranger to be comfortable. I'm not so fond of the between-the-numbers crossover of Wolf—I prefer to think of those books as a separate, alternate timeline I don't have to buy into if I don't want to. The voice artist did a fine job, but her voice didn't match my voices for characters, so I think I'd rather read future books myself to get Ranger's "Babe" just right.

La's Orchestra Saves The World, by Alexander McCall Smith

I started reading this book out loud to my mother, but she asked me to stop because it was too sad. I suppose sadness is a big part of any WWII story. This was a small one—a small book and a small story, the tale of one woman's war in Surrey, where it didn't seem to touch her all that much other than growing vegetables in her lawn and taking care of a neighbor's chickens. From the title of the book you would think the orchestra plays a bigger part than it did, but it all seemed superficial. Not much depth, and not much happiness for La or the reader.

Madame Koska & le Spectre de la Rose, by Ilil Arbel

Received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Madame Koska & Le Spectre de la Rose had a classic Agatha Christie feel to it—the time period, the amateur sleuth, the details, the red herrings, the length. I liked the characters and the mystery, but I think there were a couple of plot points left unexplained that might have been tightened up with another round of editing. I would read another Madame Koska book with no hesitation.

Books Read in 2018

My reading is heading in the right direction—2018 was an improvement over 2017 as I managed to read 22 books this year, 7 more than in 2017.

These are the books I tackled in 2018. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? Always Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth; and Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson.

January
1. Marriage Most Scandalous, by Johanna Lindsey

February
2. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (A) (R)
3. Sleeping Giants, by Sylvain Neuval (A)
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote (A)

March
5. Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth (A)
6. Call The Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse, by Jennifer Worth
7. Call The Midwife: Farewell to the East End, by Jennifer Worth

April
8. The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie

May
9. Hardcore Twenty-Four, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
10. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies, by Alexander McCall Smith

June
11. Blue Shoes and Happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith
12. March, by Geraldine Brooks
13. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland
14. Armada, by Ernest Cline (A)

July
15. Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins (E) (L)
16. Claire of the Sea Light, by Edwidge Danticat

August
17. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
18. Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

November
19. Beautiful Tempest, by Johanna Lindsey

December
20. Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil (E)
21. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling (E)
22. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling

Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, both predictable and unpredictable, but oftentimes, that is what I am looking for in a romance novel. I want the familiar formula and I want the unexpected and this book delivered both. I liked the characters and I believed the fairy tale.

Books Read in 2017

It looks like 2017 wasn't a great year for reading—I managed to read only 15 books this year—26 fewer than 2016, and the fewest I have read in the last decade.

These are the books I tackled in 2017. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPhone; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood; Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett; and the three books that make up The Corfu Trilogy, by Gerald Durrell.

January
1. Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear

March
2. The Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith (E)

April
3. Birds of a Feather, by Jacqueline Winspear (E) (L)

June
4. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven, by Chris Cleave (E) (L)

July
5. The Lioness of Morocco, by Julia Drosten (E)

August
6. The Gravity of Birds, by Tracy Guzeman
7. Death Comes As The End, by Agatha Christie
8. Fantastic Voyage, by Isaac Asimov
9. Funny Letters From Famous People, by Charles Osgood

September
10. My Family and Other Animals (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)
11. Birds, Beasts and Relatives (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)

October
12. The Garden of the Gods (The Corfu Trilogy), by Gerald Durrell (E)

November
13. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

December
14. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
15. The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection, by Neil Gaiman (A) (L)

The Full Cupboard of Life, by Alexander McCall Smith

From the Kindle Kache. I am glad that story lines are moving forward. With each new-to-me book in this series, I have to wonder if the people of Botswana are OK with how they are being portrayed. The tone seems somewhat condescending and I wonder if it's just me. It makes me feel a bit guilty because I turn to this series when I am looking for something soothing to read: I know everything will turn out OK and that there are happy endings.

Books Read in 2016

Like many others, I bid good riddance to 2016. It wasn't a great year for a number of reasons, one of which is that I managed to finish only 41 books this year—19 fewer than 2015—and several of them were Extremely Easy Reads.

These are the books I finished in 2016. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPhone; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss; Going Solo, by Roald Dahl; and two audiobooks that should make the list twice because I loved both the books and the performers: The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer (read by Amanda Palmer), and Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi (read by Wil Wheaton).

January
1. A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin (E)
2. French for Cats, by Henry Beard
3. Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson
4. Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

February
6. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell (E) (L)
7. Love Story, by Erich Segal
8. The Lady In The Lake, by Raymond Chandler

March
9. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
10. The Talbot Odyssey, by Nelson DeMille

April
11. Outlander, by Diana Galbadon
12. While You Were Mine, by Ann Howard Creel (E)
13. Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice continued, by Anna Elliott (E)

May
14. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming (A)
15. The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman (A) (L)
16. Ghost Gifts, by Laura Spinella (E)
17. Tricky Twenty-Two, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
18. Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved, by Russell Martin
19. Happy! by Pharrell Williams

June
20. Murder at Longbourn, by Tracy Kiely
21. The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill (A)
22. Runemarks, by Joanne Harris
23. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
24. I've Got You Under My Skin, by Mary Higgins Clark

July
25. Murder on the Links, by Agatha Christie
26. Pasta Imperfect, by Maddy Hunter
27. Saturday, by Ian McEwan (A)
28. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

August
29. Capricorn One, by Ron Goulart
30. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (E)

September
31. Ballet of the Elephants, by Leda Schubert
32. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
33. The Bridge to Nowhere, by Megan McDonald
34. Going Solo, by Roald Dahl
35. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

October
36. Audrey Rose, by Frank De Felitta
37. The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer (A) (R)
38. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving

November
39. I Will Never NOT EVER Eat a Tomato, by Lauren Child
40. Girl On A Wire, by Gwenda Bond (E)

December
41. Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi (A)

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Read Kindle version on an old recommendation of a Wil Wheaton tweet and more recent recommendation by Niece No. 1. Like them, I found this book very enjoyable, and I am glad there is still a lot of story to tell. It seems like every book is part of a series these days, and I have been reluctant to start another, but this is one story that deserves to be told slowly and completely.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I was skeptical about this newest Harry Potter story, and after an all-at-once reading session, I can say that it wasn't horrible—it was OK. Even though Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron are unrecognizable as adults, the magic is still with the children. I enjoyed the time-turner story, and the cameos by old friends. The best part of it for me were the astonishing stage directions and set descriptions—how will they pull this off? When can I see it?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming

Bought the audio version through audible.com because David Tennant reads it brilliantly. What a fun little book! I don't recall ever reading it, or seeing the movie, though I'm told by my older siblings that I did. It was a great adventure—sort of like a James Bond Jr. There were also lots of little things that reminded me of Lemony Snicket books in a good way.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library.

First of all, I love the cover images on Sarah Vowell's books. Never change.

Second of all, the inside of the book was just as stimulating. My knowledge of the American Revolution, and of Lafayette's role in it, was a bit hazy, not having revisited it since my childhood. I recognized many of the names because they surround me every day: I live in a town named for Nathanael Greene even though he never stepped foot in it. I live adjacent to counties named for Lafayette and Greene and Washington and Jefferson. Towns named for Steuben are nearby.

I don't think I ever knew (or thought I needed to know) what happened to Lafayette after the war or that he had a triumphant return in 1824, where two-thirds of the population of NYC turned out for him. I didn't realize how closely the Revolution followed on the heels of the French & Indian War, why the French were so anxious to fight the British again, and what the result of that fight would be on the French monarchy (sorry Louis & Marie!).

Finally, I love Sarah Vowell's snark and her drawings. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Books Read in 2015

Another year in the books (hahaha)! I managed to finish 60* this year—2 fewer than 2014, but, as in 2014, several of them were Very Easy Reading, so that 60 deserves an asterisk.

I was lucky enough to meet a couple of great authors this year—Rainbow Rowell and Lois Lowry;  read a great author for the first time this year—Kurt Vonnegut; and "discover" some new-to-me authors I look forward to reading again—Sarah Vowell, Andy Weir, and Paula Hawkins.

These are the books I finished in 2015. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPod Touch; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? "Grave Surprise," "An Ice Cold Grave," and "Grave Secret," by Charlaine Harris; The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein; The Martian, by Andy Weir; and Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell.

January
1. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, by Matthew Quick (A)
2. One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson (E) (L)
3. Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (A)
4. The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer
5. Top Secret Twenty-One, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
6. The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams (R)
7. How to Care for Your Monster, by Norman Bridwell (R)  

February
8. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (E) (L)
9. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins (E) (L)
10. Journey Into Narnia, by Kathryn Lindskoog
11. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling (E) (L)
12. Dark Summer, by Iris Johansen  

March
13. Misery, by Stephen King
14. Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman
15. Not That Kind of Girl, by Lena Dunham (E) (L)
16. Grave Surprise, by Charlaine Harris
17. The Kalahari Typing School for Men, by Alexander McCall Smith
18. Orange Is The New Black, by Piper Kerman
19. Pete's A Pizza, by William Steig  

April
20. The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton
21. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce (E)
22. We Were Tired Of Living In A House, by Liesel Moak Skorpen (R)
23. Celestial Land and Sea, by Amy McLean (E)
24. An Ice Cold Grave, by Charlaine Harris  

May
25. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (A) (L)
26. Third Girl, by Agatha Christie
27. Argo, by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio (A) (L)
28. Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn
29. Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, by Christopher Moore
30. The Beginner's Goodbye, by Anne Tyler (A) (L)
31. Every Seventh Wave, by Daniel Glattauer  

June
32. Persuasion, by Jane Austen
33. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
34. Grave Secret, by Charlaine Harris (E)
35. Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel, by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
36. The Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick  

July
37. Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks (A)
38. Charleston, by John Jakes
39. Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen
40. The Moon Lake, by Ivan Gantschev
41. The Happy Prince and Other Stories, by Oscar Wilde
42. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson (A)
43. The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Mary Street
44. Happiness Is A Warm Puppy, by Charles M. Schulz  

August
45. The Outsider, by Jimmy Connors (A) (L)
46. Trigger Warning, by Neil Gaiman (E) (L)
47. Slow Decay, by Andy Lane
48. Emma: A Modern Retelling, by Alexander McCall Smith (E) (L)
49. The Martian, by Andy Weir  

September
50. Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (R)
51. I Am The Messenger, by Markus Zusak
52. Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell (E) (L)  

October
53. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (E) (L)
54. Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell (A) (L)
55. Wave, by Sonali Deraniyagala  

November
56. The Girl On The Train, by Paula Hawkins (E) (L)
57. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut  

December
58. Prosecco & Paparazzi, by Celia Kennedy (E)
59. Tremors In The Cloister: A Memoir, by Allan Spiegler
60. Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own, by Doreen Orion

Prosecco & Paparazzi, by Celia Kennedy

Received from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in October 2015.

It has been a long time since I read a romance, so when I read the description of this book, "a contemporary romantic comedy about what happens when the paths of a celebrity god and a mere mortal collide," I was interested. Who doesn't wonder about what would happen if they met their ultimate celebrity crush?

It started off well. A cute meet. A dream of a night. But then it took a really weird turn that it never quite recovered from. There were too many inconsistencies in character and plot that kept distracting me from the story. I  enjoyed the glamorous settings—the French Alps, New York, London, Ireland, the French Riviera, Rome, Barbados—and the glamorous people, but I was looking for that one real thing that would make me care about these characters and I just didn't find it. I was interested in Charlotte's romance, but she was cheated by having to share her story with too many characters who were too obviously being set up for their own stories, as this is Book One in The Passport Series.

All in all, Prosecco & Paparazzi could have benefited greatly from a couple more rounds of editing. There were too many insignificant details, too much uncontrollable laughter, too much prosecco, and not enough paparazzi.